We say it every year – National Painting Week is our favorite week of the year, because the power of paint is never ending. Each year, Sherwin-Williams puts out the call to bloggers all over the country to refresh a space, change its perspective, or add more emotion through the transformative power of paint. Last year, we embarked on a community-based project, making over our beloved neighborhood preschool.

When Minneapolis residents picture their city's north side, they think of crime, foreclosures, and unemployment. But George Roberts, standing in the sun-lit gallery of the neighborhood's Homewood Studios, says that picture is far from complete. He's a retired high-school English teacher, and, with a gentle demeanor and a white, close-cropped beard, he looks the part.

But he's also an artist, poet, and, in his own way, a community activist. "In...